Page 170 of An Enigma for the Lycan Crown Prince
“Oh, I love the name,” she reassures me. “I wouldn’t have agreed to it if I’d hated it.”
As someone with such an unusual name like Elden, I just wanted to make sure my child had a name he wouldn’t need to constantly spell or answer stupid questions about. Maybe it’s a very common name, but I couldn’t care less. He will make a name for himself one day; he doesn’t need to have a special name like Elden.
I made sure that Flora and Liam could rest without receiving any visitors, but I know my mate. By now, she has recovered some of her strength and wants to show off our baby to those she loves. “Who do you want to see?” I ask her.
“Aunt Elspeth, of course! I bet she is restlessly waiting already! And Geneva! A pity that Emilia’s flight got delayed, but she will be here in a couple of days.” She pauses. “Then, we definitely have to make sure your betas are one of the first to see him. It’s a must.”
She is right, we can’t skip them and invite someone else first. Our hierarchy wouldn’t allow it.
“Oh, and the three elite warriors who restlessly protected me during the last months,” she adds. “With their families. Make sure to invite Erwin in particular.”
“Erwin Medina?” I ask curiously.
“Yes, and he has to bring his son.”
“Dante…” I say thoughtfully. “Of course, but why?”
She smiles at me with that certain look in her eyes, so I know she knows something she can’t openly say. “A feeling,” she says.
“Got you,” I say. Could it be? Liam has just been born, and it’s very unusual for lycans, even those of royal blood, to form any bond so soon, aside from the one to their family. Flora and I were a rare exception. Mates at that age are incredibly unusual. But it’s not the only bond that’s unusual, namely the bond we feel towards our beta. I immediately knew it when I met Vincent. He was the one person for me, that could do the job.
Dante, however, is a child, and it seems he was drawn to Flora more and more the longer her pregnancy went along.
A beta bond, already?Regis asks.
It’s not impossible,I add.
True and we grew our bonds very early too.
It would be much easier that way, than to choose a protector for him until he can choose for himself like I did.
While Flora nurses Liam, I go to fetch Aunt Elspeth and Geneva. Samuel is back in Paris now, but promised he will visit as soon as he can. Instead, he made sure that Geneva could come and stay with us for a while, which I truly appreciate.
Both women have been waiting patiently ever since Flora went into labor, but now are obviously over the moon that they are allowed to meet the new mother with her baby.
They make a beeline right to Flora and Liam, making sure to coo both at her and our baby. Aunt Elspeth helps Flora to go to the bathroom while Geneva holds our little boy. “What a peculiar little baby,” she whispers. “Strong alpha aura, already, as expected from your firstborn child, Elden.”
“I feel it too,” I say.
“It’s your royal bloodline,” she says. “He was always destined to be born strong and with all the qualities to become your heir. Add to that Flora’s strength and you really have an amazing miracle here.”
She hands him to me gently.
“I will protect him,” I say quietly while looking at the bundle in my arms. He is so small and so cute that it makes my chest churn at the thought that someone could ever hurt him. “I will make sure he will be safe,” I say. “No one will hurt him.”
“It’s a gifted child,” Geneva says thoughtfully. “I can feel it already. It’s not going to be easy for him.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” She touches his forehead. “There is a very strong and dominant wolf spirit inside him.”
“Regis is dominant, too,” I say.
“Regis was much more in control though, while he is already showing signs of being very strong-willed. He will need some guidance to stay under control.”
For a moment, my mind wanders to Flora and to the scar she is still carrying, and the fact that I am responsible for it because I did lose control. The fact that my little boy has such a dominant beast inside him makes me sad for him, because it means he will need to start battling it at a young age already. But at the same time, I try to tell myself over and over again, that I never had any guidance or help with Regis, and that Liam, on the other hand, will get all the help and love he needs from Flora and me. I will make sure he grows up safe.
History doesn’t need to repeat itself.
